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Celebrity Race Across the World 2026: Full Guide to BBC's Reality Series
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In brief
Celebrity Race Across the World returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Wednesday, 28 October 2026 at 8pm. Four celebrity pairs travel 7,500km from Borneo to Melbourne with no phones, no flights and a daily budget of £26 per person. Here is who is taking part, the route, the rules and how the series compares to its past three seasons.
What the show is and why it's back now
Celebrity Race Across the World is the famous-faces spin-off of BBC One's Race Across the World, in which pairs travel long distances overland without using planes, mobile phones or the internet, racing to reach checkpoints before a set deadline. The fourth celebrity series launches on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday, 28 October 2026 at 8pm, according to the BBC's own programme listing and coverage by TV Guide UK.
The new run is notable because it is the first time the format has visited Australia. The route starts in Kuching, in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, and finishes in Melbourne, Australia, a BBC-confirmed first for the franchise reported by Yahoo News UK and TV Guide UK.
The route: Borneo to Melbourne
According to TV Guide UK and Yahoo News UK, the four pairs must cover roughly 7,500km across what the BBC describes as 'three countries and two continents.' The journey begins by crossing Borneo's rainforest in Sarawak before the teams work their way toward the Australian mainland and on to Melbourne. The BBC says contestants must pass five checkpoints along the way, though the exact countries and checkpoint towns beyond the start and finish have not been detailed in the sources reviewed.
Who is competing in 2026
The 2026 line-up was confirmed by the BBC and reported by HuffPost UK, TV Guide UK and Yahoo News UK. Four celebrity pairs are taking part:
- Princess Andre and her brother Junior Andre, the children of Katie Price and Peter Andre
- Sam Ryder, the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest runner-up, with his best friend and tour manager Kaz
- Jeff Stelling, the sports broadcaster, with his son Matt
- Ella Eyre, the singer-songwriter, with her childhood friend Nana
Ahead of the launch, Junior Andre told the press he wanted to 'shut off all the background noise that's often around in our lives and in the media, and just focus and do my best,' according to Brit Brief. He also said he wanted to 'see the world... some magical places,' while his sister Princess called the race a 'really fun experience,' the outlet reported.
This year's pairs navigate a journey that lays bare two extremes of today's world. We can't wait to share how they get on.
The rules: no phones, no flights, £26 a day
The format's core rules carry over from previous series. Each contestant races with a cash budget of £26 per person per day, with no access to credit or debit cards, mobile phones or the internet, according to reporting cited alongside the BBC announcement. Air travel is banned; teams must use buses, trains, boats or other ground and sea transport. Contestants are allowed a map and, for emergencies only, a satellite phone. According to Wikipedia's entry on the series, there is no cash prize for the winning pair.
How to watch
Celebrity Race Across the World airs weekly on BBC One from Wednesday, 28 October 2026 at 8pm, with episodes also available on BBC iPlayer, per the BBC's own listing reported by TV Guide UK. The series runs for six hour-long episodes, the same length as the 2025 celebrity series, according to the Wikipedia summary of the show.
How this series compares with past seasons
| Series | Route | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Series 1 (2023) | Marrakesh, Morocco → Tromsø, Norway | Alex Beresford & Noel Beresford |
| Series 2 (2024) | Belém, Brazil → Frutillar, Chile | Scott Mills & Sam Vaughan |
| Series 3 (2025) | Isla Mujeres, Mexico → Península de La Guajira, Colombia | Roman Kemp & Harleymoon Kemp |
| Series 4 (2026) | Kuching, Borneo, Malaysia → Melbourne, Australia | To be decided |
The table draws on the Wikipedia summary of the franchise's series-by-series results. The most recent series, which aired from 6 November to 11 December 2025, covered 5,900km through Central America and Colombia, was won by broadcaster Roman Kemp and his sister Harleymoon, and featured contestant pairs including Anita Rani with her father Bal, and Dylan Llewellyn with his mother Jackie, per that same Wikipedia entry.
Questions
- When does Celebrity Race Across the World 2026 start?
- The new series launches on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday, 28 October 2026 at 8pm, according to the BBC's programme listing reported by TV Guide UK.
- Who are the celebrity pairs in the 2026 series?
- The four pairs are Princess Andre and Junior Andre, Sam Ryder and his tour manager Kaz, Jeff Stelling and his son Matt, and Ella Eyre and her childhood friend Nana, per the BBC's cast announcement covered by HuffPost UK and Yahoo News UK.
- What is the 2026 route?
- Contestants travel about 7,500km starting in Kuching, Sarawak on Borneo and finishing in Melbourne, Australia — the first time the format has reached Australia, according to Yahoo News UK and TV Guide UK.
- What budget and rules do contestants have?
- Each person races on £26 per day in cash, with no phones, cards, internet or air travel allowed; only a map and an emergency satellite phone are provided, according to reporting on the series rules.
- Is there a cash prize for winning?
- According to the Wikipedia entry on the show, the winning pair receives no cash prize; the series is a non-cash reality competition.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Celebrity Race Across the World
- TV Guide UK — Celebrity Race Across the World 2026: First look at new series as the pairs set off on their 7,500km journey
- HuffPost UK — Celebrity Race Across The World 2026: Cast & Line-Up Announced
- Brit Brief — Junior Andre says he wants to 'shut off' media noise on Race Across World
- Yahoo News UK — BBC confirms release date for new Celebrity Race Across The World as 2026 will boast a show first
This piece was prepared with artificial intelligence and passed an automated source check before publication. If you see an error, ask for a correction. Request a correction or reply · How we make this
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